


take to the sky with me

by darlingargents



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Awkward Flirting, Celebrity Crush, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Skysolo Secret Santa 2017, but not actually, i don't know how to tag this i'm so sorry, leia is the best sister of all time, luke is a fanboy and doesn't know how to Deal with anything tbqh, still in the sw universe but not canon. idk. roll with it, surprise! you're royalty!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 19:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13107162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingargents/pseuds/darlingargents
Summary: Sometimes, being royalty means sacrifices. Sometimes, those sacrifices involve having to attempt to seduce your childhood crush into a diplomatic marriage to ensure peace between your planets. Such is the life.





	take to the sky with me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [deviantparker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deviantparker/gifts).



Naboo in spring was a beautiful thing to behold, and today, Luke appreciated it more than ever. When he was nervous, he tended to look outside of himself. He was different from his sister in that way. Leia always retreated when she was nervous, not noticing the outside world. He listened to the birds singing in the trees, the delicate notes swelling like a chorus. He saw the rays of sunlight hitting the ground, the shadows wavering as the trees moved in the light wind. It was actually slightly cold, even in late morning in the sun, and Luke shivered slightly. He was hyperaware of his fingers going numb where he clutched the balcony railing.

The Corellian royal family would be arriving today. With them would be Luke’s celebrity crush who was also the man his parents wanted him to marry.

It wasn’t to be an arranged marriage, his father Anakin had assured him. Anakin Skywalker Amidala was the Prince-Consort of two decades and the royal advisor, and he quite often put the interests of Naboo above the happiness of his children in small ways. He wanted a better relationship with Corellia, and a marriage might just do the trick. Still, he would never force his children into marriage. He had encouraged Luke to agree, but he would never force him to.

Luke had agreed to try.

It hadn’t seemed so bad, at first. Last he’d heard, the Corellian ruler had only one son, and he seemed a decent man, but not one Luke would really be interested in. Luke had put in the effort of trying to get to know him, but he was fairly certain that within a few weeks, he’d have to tell Anakin the bad news, that they just weren’t connecting. And that would be that.

And then he’d heard that the family had claimed another son, one who had been presumed dead and had grown up to be smuggler and space-racer. As Luke was growing out of childhood and into the realm of intense celebrity crushes, Han Solo had been on the front of every story about modern space-racing — how it was becoming a revived art, how it was garnering galactic attention. And the story of Han Solo was emblematic of it. He had been a spice smuggler before deciding to give up his life of crime and throw himself into racing instead. He flew in his trusty _Millennium Falcon_ with his best friend Chewbacca by his side.

Most people knew he hadn’t really decided that his smuggling past was wrong, just that there was better money — and fame — in racing. Luke didn’t care. All he knew was that Han was gorgeous and talented and exactly Luke’s type — because he’d _codified_ Luke’s type.

And this was the problem. You should never meet your heroes, and now Luke was supposed to seduce his.

His thirteen-year-old self would have been hysterical. His twenty-year-old self was petrified.

* * *

Leia found him there when it was almost lunchtime. She saw his trembling and frozen posture, and sighed, coming up beside him and laying a hand on his arm.

“Dad’s an idiot,” she said softly when it became clear that Luke wasn’t going to initiate conversation. “But he isn’t going to force you into this. Okay? I can talk to him for you if you want, but trust me — he will not be upset if this doesn’t work out, or even if you won’t try. He cares about you. Us.”

Luke slowly withdrew his hands, wincing a little as pins-and-needles ran through them. He stared down at them. They were reddish where he’d been holding the railing, and where they hadn’t been, they were so pale he could see his veins.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Let’s go in. They’ll be here soon.”

* * *

The formal meeting with the Corellian royal family was in the throne room.

Luke stood next to Leia, behind and to the right of Padmé’s throne. Anakin was beside Leia, and Padmé’s handmaidens were spread out on the other side of her. It was a formal display.

Leia took Luke’s hand, hidden by the volumes of her skirt. She squeezed it gently, and glanced at him. _Are you okay_ her eyes seemed to ask.

Luke nodded. It may or may not be true, but he was going to survive this one meeting, at least.

The Corellian royal family filed in, just on time, a few minutes later. Formal greetings took place, and Luke played his role as well as he could. He couldn’t see Han in the large group of the royal family, but they were in the same room. It was a miracle he wasn’t so distracted that he completely messed up the ceremony.

When the formal parts of the ceremony were finally over, the Corellians dispersed a little — their leader going to talk to Padmé and Anakin. A few of the guards mingled with the handmaidens, and Luke had to laugh a little at their clear agendas, and the likelihood of failure, considering how many of the handmaidens vastly preferred women. As the group dispersed, the inner circle, previously hidden, was visible.

And there he was.

Han Solo.

Living legend.

Wearing traditional Corellian clothes and shuffling uncomfortably in place, sure, but still almost painfully beautiful.

Leia leaned in close to Luke. “You know as well as I do that I don’t swing that way very much, but for him… I’d make an exception.”

Luke winced. “As if I needed another reminder of how impossibly attractive he is.”

“Sorry,” said Leia, her tone conveying no sincerity whatsoever, but she squeezed Luke’s hand again and pushed him forward a little. “Go on. Work to be done.”

“Come with me,” Luke said, the words bursting out of him before he could think them through. Leia shot him an unreadable glance, and then nodded.

“Lead the way.”

* * *

Luke realized as they approached that Han might be intimidated by them. They were known for being an imposing force together. Luke was fairly sure he saw Han’s eyes widen just a bit as they approached. Even though the other man was easily a head taller than him, Luke felt for a moment like he and Leia, together, towered over him.

It was a curious feeling. Odd, but not entirely unpleasant.

“Prince Solo,” Leia said, taking the lead, as she often did. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I am Lady Leia Amidala, and this is Lord Luke Amidala, my brother.”

Han bowed to both of them as Leia introduced them, though Luke noted that the gesture seemed stiff and awkward. It seemed that he was still adapting to being royalty. Luke had had this weight on his shoulders since he was born, but he could imagine how this must feel for Han: having a normal life, being a celebrity, even, and then finding out that you have a whole life and responsibilities that you have to take on — while giving up on the passion that had defined your life up until that point. It didn’t sound like the best possible surprise, to be sure.

“It’s good to meet you,” he said. His voice was still roughened with an Outer Rim accent, from all his years living there, but it sounded a little more Corellian than before. It was still the same voice that had been interviewed about racing for years, though, and Luke felt himself swoon just a tiny bit before forcing himself to concentrate.

“I welcome you to our home planet,” Luke said, inclining his head. “If you would be interested, my sister and I would enjoy showing you around our gardens. They are quite beautiful this time of year.” The words almost hurt to speak.

It felt strange to say such a standard greeting to _Han Kriffing Solo._ This wasn’t like speaking to some random prince he’d never heard of. This should have been different, and it felt wrong when Han simply nodded and followed Luke and Leia out of the room towards the spring gardens without another word.

* * *

Luke and Leia had spent years having to build diplomatic relationships on short notice, and had developed a technique for things like this before, switching the roles depending on who was supposed to form the relationship. Luke had planned to go at this by himself, and hadn’t had a chance to ask Leia to help — but she knew what to do. She always did. Leia moved ahead, talking about the various native flora while Luke walked by Han’s side and tried not to hyperventilate. Leia’s lecturing grew quieter and less interesting as they continued walking in the almost-chilly air, and Luke turned to Han, knowing his time had come.

“I have to say, I’ve been a bit of a fan of yours for a while.”

Han laughed a little, running his hand through his hair. “Back when I was a space-racer, I guess.”

“Yeah. I mean, it’s pretty impressive what you achieved.”

“When you’ve got a great ship and great co-pilot, you can do a lot. But that chapter of my life has been over for a while.” Han stopped to examine a blossoming orange flower, and Luke waited with him. Up ahead, Leia stopped for a moment and turned back. Seeing that Han was occupied, she shot Luke a thumbs-up, and he rolled his eyes.

“Do you still have the _Millennium Falcon_?” Luke asked once they continued walking. He was genuinely curious. The holonet sites couldn’t seem to agree on what had happened to the ship after Han retired.

“I gave her to Chewie. I’m not allowed to fly her anymore, so I thought someone might as well take her over. Take care of her.” Han’s fist clenched, seemingly unconsciously, and he looked away. Luke winced. Touchy subject, apparently.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Have you seen this racing season’s lineup?”

It was an obvious attempt to change the subject, and Luke embraced it. For once, he was doing official work by talking about one of his favourite hobbies.

The rest of the walk passed quickly, and by the end, Luke realized he was actually getting to know Han. It was a strange feeling, but not an unwelcome one.

* * *

The next few days passed quickly, and enjoyably. The Corellian officials were in official meetings with the Naboo for much of the time, and usually Han sought out Luke and Leia’s company during that time, as none of them were actually involved in these kinds of inter-planetary politics. The three of them wandered the royal residence together, exploring the gardens, the art gallery, the pool room, the vast libraries, and many other parts of the building. Luke had lived here all his life, but everything seemed new again.

After a few days of that, they moved out of the palace and into the rest of Naboo. They strolled down the artfully crafted streets of Theed city, visited the Gungan city for a tour, flew over the forest in a borrowed ship — Luke let Han fly, and had never seen the other man so excited — and visited as many small cantinas, community gardens, show racing exhibits, and community schools as they could.

All the while, Luke and Han were getting to know each other better. They dropped the formal talk almost immediately. Leia was bonding with Han, too, even though she left them to their own devices quite often.

Luke realized early on that Han was sticking with them because they were a familiar part of an unfamiliar planet. Luke knew that Han had lots of experience with travel — more than Luke did himself — but not as royalty. Travelling around with a guard was very different from landing in a cheap spaceport, getting a drink and meal at the local cantina, and crashing on your ship with a local in your bed, like Hanused to do before.

Well, the last bit may have just been the fanfiction Luke used to read, but the rest was common knowledge.

A little over two weeks into the Corellian's official visit, Luke and Leia were having breakfast when Han showed up at their suite. Artoo, the old and temperamental but extremely competent droid that their mother had had since she was a girl and a new queen, greeted Han with a beep that Luke could hear from a room over and guided him in to where Luke was scrolling through news on his holopad.

“Luke? Can I talk to you? Alone?”

Luke’s heart rate jumped, and without meaning to, he glanced at Leia, whose eyebrows were sharply raised. Her eyes darted to Han and then back to Luke. He got her meaning, somewhat. _Is this it? The moment?_

He gave the tiniest shrug, and looked back to Han. “Of course. Would you like to take a walk through the gardens?”

Han nodded, and Luke turned off his holopad and followed him out of the room.

It was a shockingly warm morning, the sun bright and the sky clear. The flowers were beautiful in the sunlight, the birds flitted between the trees and sang their hearts out, and the palace beside them glittered under the sky. They walked side by side down the winding paths, not speaking for a long while.

Luke was almost at the point of asking why Han had asked for him when the other man finally spoke. “I need to tell you something.” Han was looking straight ahead, his hands clenched tight behind his back, his face carefully blank.

“What is it?” Luke asked.

Han stopped abruptly, and Luke did too. They were in the middle of a section of the garden filled with fruit trees, and the light overhead was blocked partially by their newly flowering branches, the shadows making patterns on the winding path. Han took a deep breath.

“I was told to seduce you and marry you in order to… to ‘improve the relations between our planets’. My… my parents told me to. I wasn’t supposed to tell you, but I’m… growing fond of our friendship, and I thought I should be honest.”

For a moment, Luke was so surprised he couldn’t speak. He felt a combination of several emotions at once. He felt relief that what Han had wanted to tell him wasn’t bad. He felt worry that the spark he’d sensed between them wasn’t real. He also felt a small amount of hope. Maybe… maybe there was a chance that this marriage might really happen. All these emotions went by in the space of a second before he spoke.

“Me too,” Luke said, and quickly explained. “I mean, my parents told me to seduce you, too. They also want us to marry to improve the relations between our planets.”

For a moment, Han just stared at him wide-eyed. Then he laughed, so loud and sudden that a bunch of birds in the trees above them took flight, squawking loudly. Luke found himself laughing along. He’d heard Han laugh before, but never like this, so carefree and true and uncontrolled.

When Han finally stopped laughing, his words still had traces of laughter on them. “I can’t believe we’ve been trying to seduce each other for two weeks and neither of us have noticed.”

Luke snorted. His heart felt lighter than it had in ages. It was clear, so clear, that their friendship hadn’t been a lie. “I don’t think either of us are very experienced with this kind of thing.”

“Well, not to brag, but I’ve done the seduction thing before. I just usually don’t need to make sure they stick around after the morning.”

Hence the nerves. Luke grinned, and they made their way back to the palace together.

* * *

Things grew a little easier after that, but different, too. Han seemed a little freer, less uptight, more the way he used to be before royalty and its responsibilities and rules were thrust onto him. It was like Luke could see the layers of his royal persona peeling away — but only for him and Leia. It dropped back into place the moment they were with anyone else.

They got closer, too, talking about their childhoods, their other interests, their theories about life and love. Luke let himself flirt a bit more, get a little closer, and Han always reciprocated enthusiastically, but neither of them actually crossed a line yet. Han talked more freely to Luke about his life — how the discovery of his true parentage had shocked him, and how the restrictions and rules of royal life were chafing at him. How much he missed his old ship, flying, freedom, his old life and friends.

“I do miss Chewie,” he told Luke one day. It was a springtime Naboo rainstorm — thunderous and liable to cause drownings. They were inside, playing a game of dejarik — they’d been playing a lot during the rainy days — and Luke was barely paying attention because he was too busy listening to Han’s stories of his life to focus on his gameplay. Luckily, Han wasn’t that great of a player, as much as he bragged about it, so usually the games were reasonably close. “He’s still active, running some legal trade. We talk every now and again. But we’re so different now. Our lives are so different.” Han sighed, and made a move that even Luke, distracted as he was, could tell was ill-advised. “But we still care about each other. I think if I ever asked, he’d drop everything to take me away from this life.”

Luke nodded sympathetically, and easily countered Han’s move. “Must be nice having such a good friend.”

“Yeah. Ah, kriff. You win again, kid.”

“Better luck next time.”

* * *

The Corellians had been on Naboo for about a month and a half when Luke found out they were leaving. Han told him casually over lunch that they would be leaving in two days, and Luke felt his heart stutter to a stop before resuming. Since the beginning of the visit, he hadn’t really thought about the fact that eventually Han would be leaving.

“Oh,” he said, trying not to let his roiling emotions show on his face. “Well, I’ll miss your company.”

Han was looking at Luke with an expression that made him think he hadn’t been very successful at hiding his emotional turmoil. Leia had paused in eating, looking between them silently as if she didn’t want to interrupt what was happening but wanted to see every bit of it.

“Yeah,” Han said eventually. “I’ll miss you too, kid.”

Han finished eating perhaps more quickly than he might have done, and left almost immediately after, claiming a need to pack. Luke just sat there, staring at his food; he wasn’t hungry anymore.

“Luke!”

He looked up, startled, to see Leia leaning over the table towards him. She rolled her eyes and sat back down in her seat. “You were lost in your head.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. We need to talk.”

“What about?”

Leia glanced out the window, where it was still drizzling. “Come with me.”

Luke shoved his half-eaten food away from him and stood, following his sister into another part of the palace. They walked for several minutes through corridors that Luke barely recognized, and he was almost ready to ask where they were going when she stopped, lifted a tapestry depicting a flowery meadow, and gestured for Luke to follow her into a small, dusty room, big enough to fit maybe four people.

“When did you find this?” Luke asked as he sat down across from her on a small cushion on the floor. There was a window in the room, too, facing another part of the castle; it was surprising that this hidden room clearly wasn’t maintained or known about, but from the angle of the window — likely barely visible from anywhere else — not impossible.

“A few years ago. I tripped, leaned on the tapestry, and fell in. It’s useful for hiding.”

“I can see that.” The room might have been dusty, but it wasn’t dirty; it had clearly been cared for. There was a rug on the floor covering the old duracrete, with the small cushions for sitting, and on the windowsill was an assortment of small trinkets. Clearly Leia spent a fair amount of time in here. “So, why are you showing me your secret hiding place?”

“Because we need to talk.”

“You said that already.”

“About Han.”

Luke looked down at the floor. The rug was red, and a bit tattered on the edges. “What about him?”

“Don’t be an idiot. You’re in love with him, and he’s in love with you, even I can tell that. Your parents both want you to get married. It’s perfect. But you’re not doing anything.”

The rug really was fascinating. The weave was thick and heavy-duty, but worn soft over time. There were other colours mixed into the red, too — pinks, magentas, purples, and oranges. Hints of gold. “No, I’m not.”

“Why?”

The different colours were barely visible in the feeble light from the window, but the gold stood out, lines of it woven through. The faint threads practically glowed in the rain-dimmed light. “Because he doesn’t want royal responsibilities. He doesn’t want this life. If we got married, he’d be completely trapped. Royalty on two planets. I can’t do that to him.”

For a long moment, Leia was silent, just looking at him. “That’s not your choice, though. It’s his.”

“He wouldn’t have a choice. If we got married. I know that we wouldn’t be allowed to just be together without getting married. Not if I wanted to ever come back.”

“Do you want to marry him?”

“Well — yes. If I could, and he wanted to, and if none of this would happen.”

Leia’s face was unreadable. “Then get married.”

Luke stared at her. She looked back, unfazed. “Did you not hear a word I just said?” he asked.

“You’ve always said you want to see the galaxy, without the guards and fanfares.”

“Yeah, but — wait.” A small smile was creeping its way onto Leia’s face. Luke blinked. “What are you saying?”

“You said Han doesn’t want any part of royal responsibility. And you’ve always wanted to travel. And you know that you need to get married to keep your ties to the crown. So...”

“So...” Luke’s mind was spinning, and Leia was full-on grinning now. “Wait. You remember his friend Chewbacca?”

“The wookiee? His copilot?”

“Yes. Han said a little while ago that if he asked, Chewie would probably drop everything and take him away from all this. And… and Chewie has the Falcon.”

“Well,” Leia said, standing and dusting off her dress, “looks like you have yourself a plan.”

“I guess I do.”

“Good luck.”

Luke stood and hugged her, quick and tight. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

* * *

Luke found Han in his assigned guest room. The door was open and he was actually packing, though he must have been going very slowly. He’d gone to start an hour ago and the floor was still covered in various pieces of clothing and mechanical parts that Han clearly brought to fidget with. There was an open bag on his bed, which he was throwing things into without ceremony.

“Han,” Luke said, and Han looked up, looking distinctly disheveled, as though he’d been running his hands through his hair.

“Hey, kid,” Han said. “What’s up?”

Luke opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it. He wasn’t quite sure what to say. He was buzzing with excitement, and hope, but he didn’t know how to make his hopes a reality.

He’d always relied on words. He had been raised by a politician, after all. But maybe now wasn’t the time for words.

So he grabbed Han’s shoulders and kissed him.

It was brief and intense, and the room felt like it was spinning when Luke broke away a few moments later. Han looked stunned, but far from unhappy. He stared at Luke, eyes wide, and reached up to touch his mouth. “Uh… kid?”

“Let’s leave.”

“Let’s… what?”

“Leave. Run away. You want to get away from all this, and I’ve always wanted to see the galaxy without guards and officially sanctioned meetings.”

“I…” Han seemed completely speechless, but he wasn’t rejecting Luke’s idea immediately, which was better than Luke had worried he might respond. “How?” he asked, instead.

“You said Chewie would drop everything for you. Would he mind a passenger? I’m not a bad pilot myself.”

For a moment, it seemed as though Han might just stand there in shock for another fifteen minutes, but then a grin broke across his face. “I don’t think he’d mind, no.” Then his grin faded a little. “But doesn’t Naboo have those archaic laws like Corellia does? That running off with a suitor makes you lose your royal title? I can’t do that to you.”

“I only lose the title if I run off with someone I’m not married to.”

Han looked astounded for a moment, and then his smile lit up again, even brighter than before, flooding his face with warmth. Luke couldn’t remember another time when someone else’s expression had made him so happy. “Did you just propose to me?”

“Maybe.”

“Well. I guess I can be a gentleman, then. Let’s get married.”

* * *

Han commed Chewie, arranging for him to pick them up in two days. Luckily, as it turned out, he was going in their direction anyway, and it wouldn’t throw him off course by much to take them along. Luke packed a bag with only his most important possessions and cashed in a favour in Theed to arrange for a quiet but legal marriage contract to be drawn up. The wedding was to be officiated right before they left for wherever they were going next.

The two days of waiting passed like a feverish dream, where they pretended everything was normal around others and spent as much time kissing as they could as soon as they were alone, or with only Leia. She would complain, loudly and often, about how their excessive new-couple glow was ruining her appetite and making her feel a need to find a partner, but she still sought them out to spend time with them. Luke thought he knew why.

She hadn’t said anything about their journey except to congratulate them, but she and Luke hadn’t spent much time apart in their lives, and this trip would mean spending months apart with spotty communication. She was making the most of their time left. Luke got that. Sometimes even made himself break away from Han to talk to to her, spend time with her. He would miss her too.

She was going to be at their wedding, the only person there other than Chewie, and their witness. She’d cried when Luke had asked her to do it for them, and said that of course she would, provided Luke did the same at hers.

Whenever that was, Luke would be happy to, and he told her so.

The morning of the wedding dawned with a cloudless sky and warmth down to the bones, a break from the rain. Perfect. Han, Luke, and Leia made their way down to Theed’s spaceport, and at exactly the arranged time, the _Millennium Falcon_ descended out of the sky.

Luke had a moment, a short one, of overwhelming excitement — this was the ship he’d had posters of on his wall as a teenager, the ship he’d watched on vid after vid to see how it flew, the ship whose schematics he’d memorized. It was exciting. And then he turned to Han, and his reaction — well, it was nothing compared to Han’s.

Han looked almost happier than Luke had ever seen him, nearly as happy as when Luke had asked him to get married. He was looking at his ship with joy and excitement beyond what Luke could’ve ever felt, with the feeling that you have when you’ve finally arrived home after a long, uncertain journey.

Luke wrapped an arm around Han, and Han hugged him back as the door of the _Falcon_ slid open and Chewbacca came out to greet them. Han made introductions, and they made their way back into Theed for the wedding.

The ceremony was very basic, little more than the legal requirements, but there were tears in Leia’s eyes as she signed as a witness, and Chewbacca said something to Han after their first kiss as a married couple that made Han’s entire face go red. It was short and sweet and Luke knew, as they made their way out, that he’d cherish the memory for a long, long time.

At the spaceport, there was a bag sitting at the end of the ramp leading to the _Falcon_ when they got back. Leia frowned at it for a moment, and then turned to Luke.

“That’s mine.”

“Yeah.” Luke took a deep breath. “Come with us.”

She reeled back from him. “What?”

“None of us are your suitor, so you won’t lose anything. You’ll get to see the galaxy — I know you want too, even if it’s not all the same things I want to see. I know you want to see traditional Alderaanian moss paintings and visit with the people without guards between you and stay in terrible motels just for the experience of it. Come with us. Your bag has everything you’ll need.”

Leia rocked back on her heels, biting her lip, obviously warring with herself. But Luke knew her too well, and after a long moment she laughed.

“Well, all right, if you insist.” She picked up the bag. “Let’s go, I guess.”

On the ship, Chewie showed Leia to her cabin while Han led Luke to the cockpit. Luke sat in the co-pilot’s seat and tried not to die of excitement as Han sat down beside him and got them ready for flight.

By the time Leia and Chewie joined them again, they were taking off, and Luke watched Theed grow smaller beneath them with a feeling he couldn’t identify. Excitement, certainly, but also hope. Hope that this new beginning, the new start of his life, would be something good — something amazing.

“Want to do the honours, kid?” Luke pulled himself away from his thoughts and saw that Han was gesturing toward the hyperspace lever as he turned the ship in the right direction. Luke nodded, and rested his hand on the lever.

“All right… in just a second… now.”

Luke pushed down the lever, and everything went bright.


End file.
